Experience the unique landscapes of Joshua Tree National Park as you embark on a half-day tour from Palm Desert. Join a small group and visit the most iconic locations in the park including its legendary giant boulders. Learn about the forces of the San Andreas Fault that jolt the landscape and hear stories of the Native Americans who lived in the area.

A small group, half-day tour suitable for all ages
Ride in an SUV, Hummer, or a comfortable van
Stop at several viewpoints to take photos of the landscape
Choose from a few different tour options to fit your schedule

What's Included

Expert national park guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
All Fees and Taxes
Snacks
Bottled water

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Joshua Tree National Park

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Cap Rock Trail

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Intersection Rock

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Barker Dam Trail

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Keys View

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Dress in light clothes in the summer and layers in the winter. It is 20 to 30 degrees cooler in the high desert
Not wheelchair accessible
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund. There is a 4 person minimum to run this tour.

Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

220 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 220 reviews

Friendly intro tour of Joshua tree

Peter_B, Apr 2024

Good guided experience in Joshua Tree! Not sure if it was worth $180 per person — the ride over indexed on playing music, etc. I was hoping for a bit more geologic or cultural history about the park for that price! My guide was SUPER friendly and engaging. Expect the tour to last up to an hour late — this is part of the reason I have the tour a 4 out of 5 stars.

Very friendly tour for first time visitor.

Miwa_L, Apr 2024

Tour host Tom is great and kind person! He is very happy to navigate to people who is visiting first time and very kind. He knows everything about Joshua tree national park! Amazing tour.

Great Time!

Erin_P, Apr 2024

Tom was great. Very knowledgeable, he was friendly and took us to some great spots. Definitely recommend!

Excellent tour

Suzi_S, Apr 2024

Very knowledgeable tour guide. He knew about the plants, the birds, the environment, that economic status of the urban area, and impact of the music industry on the area.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for your great review and it is true we are very comprehensive in our review of both cultural and historical impacts that have made the national park what it is today.

Was well worth it!

Dale_C, Apr 2024

Having Tom for our guide! Good narration & music! Perfect weather :o) Would especially recommend for 1st timers to the park.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We appreciate you taking the time for your five star review of our tour and your great guide Tom. Come again soon.

Great introduction to Joshua Tree National Park.

Nicole_M, Apr 2024

Enjoyed the 3 hour van tour with guide Tom! He was super knowledgeable and took us to both popular spots and off the beaten path trails so we could get a really good feel of the varied terrain and plant-life. Plus we learned so much about the rich history of the park. The music from U2s Joshua Tree album was a fantastic little bonus as we entered the park. Three hours isn’t nearly enough time to see the whole park so I recommend a tour with Tom and then go back into the park on your own to explore the areas the tour doesn’t have time to cover.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

There's nothing like listening to YouTube going into Joshua Tree where the inspiration for this song came from when you two came to visit. We also appreciate you visiting this breathtaking place with us and you are awesome review of Tom.

A good day !

Maggi_M, Apr 2024

The Joshua park is amazing ,recommend seeing it . Our guide Joe was knowledgeable, personable,professional, we felt very safe driving with him . He went out of his way to accommodate everyone on the trip . The snack was a small crumbly granola bar . Really fell for the price there could be a selection of beverages and “snacks” Customers well advised to bring their nutritional needs !

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for the review and will let Joe know to be more generous with the nutritional snacks that we do typically offer. As some tours do not return until about 1:30 p.m. in the Palm Springs area, it's always good for customers to know that they should bring a light lunch with them into the national park that they could either enjoy there or on the return van home.

Excellent experience

Sandra_O, Mar 2024

Excellent tour. Our guide Bob was very knowledgeable and we learned so much about the area, fauna, etc. We had an amazing time.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We appreciate your five star review of bob! He's been with us for the season and now leaves us for a while into the High Country until we see him again in the season. Thanks for your great comments and hope to see you again soon.

Awesome adventure and great guide!!

Jennifer_B, Mar 2024

This was the best experience! Our guide was great and super nice. Gave us great information and facts. He even took us on a great hike with a special climb up to a beautiful view!! Highly recommend doing this if you only have a short time to visit!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thanks for the five star review and hope to see you soon. Leave some photos for the rest of our common travelers!

Great Tour of Joshua Tree

Samantha_W, Mar 2024

Our tour guide Tom was awesome! He shared lots of knowledge about the park and the local geography. We were able to see less touristy areas and had a great time.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for sharing your experience. Tom really likes to go to places you can't easily find on your own and really knows the back roads. Come again soon.

Great Tour, Bumpy Start

Steven_M, Mar 2024

Loved the tour and tour guide Joe was excellent and informative. PIck up was disorganized and stops at two different Welcome centers delayed our getting to the park and back to Palm Springs. Needed better logistical coordination but the tour itself was excellent.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for your review of the tour and unfortunately one party did not look at the address on their ticket showing that the tour departed from the Yucca Valley Welcome Center went to the Joshua Tree Visitor Center instead.. It delayed the tour 15 minutes picking this family up but we appreciate your patience and happy that you enjoyed your tour.

Disappointed, joshua tree trip dudnt happen

Lance_C, Mar 2024

You failed to correctly list Welcome Center location of Yucca Valley for departure and left assumption of palm Springs. Both e mail and voucher stated Welcome Center. Highly disappointed!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We have texted you the very ticket that you had and it plainly stated the address of the Welcome Center in Yucca Valley. You showed up at the Palm Springs Visitor Center at the tram station which is far from Yucca Valley and certainly not the address that is on your ticket. Both Viator and TripAdvisor put these addresses right on your ticket and I texted this as well to you. We have also explained that we have given you a free tour due to your confusion on this matter. There are several visitors centers in the Palm Springs area and it is important that guests look at their ticket for the address and not assume or blame our company for any errors as these can simply be found on your ticket.

Trip to Joshua Tree

janine_c, Mar 2024

Barker Dam loop. Great area to get an idea of the different plants and wildlife in the park. Great info by our tour guide Bob. Unfortunately not a great weather day which limited our options but he made the best of it for all of us.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We try to do our best and thank you for your review despite some wins experience that day.

Amazing Guide, Breathtaking Views

Justin_R, Mar 2024

We had an amazing tour of Joshua Tree! Our tour guide, Eddie, was incredibly knowledgeable and so kind. He showed us breathtaking sights and his love of the area showed. I’m so glad we booked a tour. We wouldn’t have known the best spots for pictures or the rich history. Simply amazing and highly recommended.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We're happy you enjoyed your tour. It is also a new addition to our team and I appreciate your comments about him. We strive to make every trip into Joshua tree and unforgettable one.

Person driving us was good, but the maintenance on the HUMV was not good, oil leak

Jeffrey_H, Mar 2024

The over all tour was good and the driver was informative, but the clear lack of maintenance because of the oil leak WAS NOT GOOD

Response from Host, Mar 2024

It actually was not an oil leak that day but it was a small antifreeze leak. No oil leak. We take maintenance issues very seriously. This vehicle was towed out that day for a full evaluation and is now back on the road. I'm so glad you were not upset about the tour itself. Thanks for your great review about the actual tour and we are sorry you thought they were larger problems to our vehicles. The wonderful thing about the Humvee is that they are practically bulletproof. We took these out of service from the military and they can survive most any climate! All the Hummers have brand new engines and every part from tires to tie rods are completely replaced every couple years. We actually rebuild our vehicles from scratch to make them the champions of four wheeling.

Tom, our guide, was...

Jim_H, Feb 2024

Tom, our guide, was exceptional. Among the best of the best- friendly- helpful- patient- knowledgeable and fun.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for giving us all the great adjectives that make our tours the best! We appreciate you taking your time to make this review of your guide.

We thought we were...

Judy_T, Feb 2024

We thought we were touring in a Hummer but it turned out it was a 8 passenger van, that was a little disappointing. Living in California for 35 years it was my first time experiencing the national park and our tour guide Denise was fabulous.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks for your review and mentioning your guide Denise. She is an amazing guide with a comprehensive knowledge base about the Flora and fauna of the park as she works at the Living Desert as well. Our touring van is pretty comfortable and keeps you warm despite the higher elevations cool temperatures in the 40s. Our open air Hummer tours also do not begin until March. The van tour is an option all year round and a nice economical way to go as it's discounted on the TripAdvisor website from the open air Hummer experience. The tour you purchased shows on your ticket the "Scenic Van Tour." I'm glad you had your first national park experience with us!

Fantastic

Jay_S, Feb 2024

Thomas was a fantastic guide. He was very knowledgeable and accommodating. Thought he was fantastic and was full of great facts and stories. He also allowed us down time to listen to music and absorb the scenery.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks for your review! Hope you guys come back soon.

Outstanding tour enhanced by engaged and knowledgeable guide

Richard_J, Feb 2024

Took the van from downtown Palm Springs. Our guide was super informed and took us to a great variety of highlights. The stops were suitable for all ages and conditions, and allowed for more adventurous short treks on the rocks. The guide knew the angles for the best photos. Highly recommended for a first-time visit.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

You gave the reader all the reasons why he need to take our tour. We know the park. We knew where the best photography spots are and you will learn about the sights.

Tom gives a great tour of Joshua Tree

Debra_B, Feb 2024

Tom was pleasant, knowledgeable and fun. He took us to some great spots. Despite the crowds over President’s Day weekend., we were able to find rock star parking spots for short hikes to see some areas of the park you cannot see from the road. A very pleasant and worthwhile morning. Good tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Yes indeed! Even if it's busy, we know where to take our guests to have a unspoiled experience in the park. Tom is one of our best too! Thanks for your review.

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